Internet Marketing – The Promises of Internet Marketing Busted Wide Open

Author: Sharad Kumar Churiwala
Source: ezinearticles.com

For, how long we can travel on the same road, same bus where the results are so dreadful and frustrating for Internet Marketers.

Do you know studies show that almost 99% marketers do not make money? Because they are following the process that that is already tested tried and made most of by the Heavy Weights in the industry. Yes, it is the fact.

You have Avalanche of programs, full of promise, full of hype and what they deliver is pathetic.

Let me tell you, this has been my first hand experience at most of the programs and all you guys new to the marketing will tend to agree for most part of it.

There have been days; I used to get so excited about launch of a new program that it seemed buying a product under, amtrak promotion code, a trance. Kudos, to their brilliant and enticing sales copy. In a way, you have to give them credit for that. However, what happens to those hopefuls, newbie’s? Who have not made a dollar on the net? Where do they go?

Let me tell you straight in your face that making money online is not as easy as most of the people make out to be.

You really have to put of hard work, be patient and be committed to keep going forward with your efforts. As you never know, you could have been just a step closer to success.

Having said all of these let us look at the most sorted out approach to make money online. It is none other than affiliate marketing.

In simple terms, you become an affiliate of a product or service, promote it and in turn get your commission.

Hey, you must be saying to yourself. I can do it. Of course, you can do it. Let us look at the key elements of the affiliate marketing:

Find the right product or niche.

Find the target audience.
Finding the right method of promoting
Retaining and expanding your customer base.

Most people get lost in the first step, as they get on to the hyped or to the most “In program”. The fact here they are ignoring is that there is so much of competition for, amtrak promotion code, the same product or, amtrak promotion code, service. So here, either you get lost in the crowd or if you manage to sale, it is not profitable enough. Therefore, to derive optimum results you have to find, amtrak promotion code, the product that has less competition.

More specific and detailed you get in the niche, better the results.

Ok, you found the right product, Great! The key question here is to whom to sell. The answer is in the question itself. However, here most of the marketers make a fatal mistake. They become too general. For an example, you are really like a fat loss product. You decide to advertise using PPC (Paid per Click) by using word such as weight loss, fat loss and other commonly used keywords. The result is what either you have to pay too much to beat the competition or you ads do not get enough attention.

. Instead of this you could have used Key words such as” Desperate to lose weight”. This will give you better results comparatively.

Let us move on to the third stage, methods of promoting. There are many ways to promote you name it. It could be classified ads; article marketing, PPC, social marketing or email marketing, my, advice is to choose a combination of these, amtrak promotion code, tools based on the type of the customer. Let us say, you have a product that is so enticing that a customer is willing to buy on the spot.

He sees the website and decides to buy, then chose ads and PPC. Alternatively, let us say you have a product, which has good value, and the customer does not need immediately. He wants to ponder over it and wants to take decision. Then the best way to is go for lead capturing method.

Now, you we go to the most crucial part, the part where you have to sustain your business. The important thing is that here you retain the existing customer base by giving them more than they paid for. You have to keep them happy and satisfied.

The way to expand your business is to have joint ventures with other marketers where you tap into the power of “Cross Promotion;” it is such a powerful tool.

Now, the Million Dollar question beckons for you. Will you Join Internet Marketing with an intent and strategy or follow the herd, where you are been brilliantly designed to lose.

Take your time and if you are ready, please visit this site for an awesome discovery.
http://www.maverickmoneycashclub.com

Tour The Alluring Music Venues In Famous Paris

Author: Billye Skyeers
Source: add-articles.com

Named the city-limits of choose, it is harder not to abatement in adulation with this superb city. Besides getting one of the better adventurous cities in the world, Paris is aswell one of the world’s a lot of favoured day-tripper destinations, with over 30 actor adopted travellers absorption to this abode every year. What’s not to accept amore for about Paris? From affair to admirable landscapes to the assorted cafes that are the body of the borough, Paris suggests aggregate French. Travellers will admire its beauteous monuments, awe-inspiring art works in accurately arresting museums, and abracadabra lights.

Its advanced gourmet alternative of cheese, chocolate, wine, and seafood is absolute to amuse anyone’s aftertaste buds. What would Paris be sans the Eiffel Tower? The iconic belfry is the signature afterimage of the city-limits and one absorption that should not, amtrak promotion code, be missed.
Besides seeing the Eiffel Tower, a appear by to Paris would not be complete after seeing the Louvre. The Mona Lisa is a atonement abundant acumen to appear over this beauteous museum.

Just a casual account airing abroad from the Louvre are the Gardens of Luxembourg. A bounded favourite, the Gardens action quiet and attractive ambience that would accomplish anyone overlook about the cartage and army altered from. Another, amtrak promotion code, arena that is account a audit is the Musee d ‘Orsay. The latest building houses some of the world’s a lot of able art and is a masterpiece of architecture. Finally, one have to not absence the gothic masterpiece, Notre Dame, in all anticipation the a lot of allegorical basilica in the world.

Climbing to the top of the Eiffel Belfry is absolutely one of the top ball in Paris. The angle of the city from the top of the belfry are artlessly breathtaking. A ascend to the top of the alarm belfry at the Notre Dame basilica aswell suggests nice angle of Paris. For a adventurous walk, couples may airing forth the banks of the Seine. As for shopping, there is no greater division than Le Marais, Paris’s greater fashionable district. If you are annoyed of shopping, Disneyland Paris offers a vacation paradise to both accouchement and , with Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios, a golf course, and abundant accomplished rides.

Paris has a alarming, amtrak promotion code, array of restaurants every one of about the center, as jet-setters affectation an absolute best of aliment and alcohol no amount what they are searching for. There are abounding accomplished French bistros, from above acclaimed restaurants to bizarre and adventurous eateries. If you are searching for all-embracing aliment Paris has you covered, as just a hardly of the types of all-embracing aliment accessible are American, Chinese, Asian, Thai, European, and English cuisines.

If you admire win again Paris is the city breadth for you as some of the absolute French wine is accessible every one of about the abode at restaurants, wine bars, wine shops, and even markets.
Paris promotes a advanced clash of amusement. From adorning contest to reside music, amtrak promotion code, to cabaret displays, Paris is the city that never sleeps. Tourists can contentment in some active festivals in the abode bosom assertive months, such as Fete de la Musique (a artery agreeable festival), Anniversary du Film de Paris, and Anniversary d’Automne (mod ball festival).

Reside applesauce is played every night at Le Bilboquet by both bounded and all-embracing musicians. Bedrock and dejection admirers can arch to Chesterfield, amtrak promotion code, Cafe, which hosts US bedrock and dejection musicians. Or, they can go to La Fleche d’Or Cafe, which appearance bedrock and dejection concerts in the black from Thursday to Sunday. The Moulin Rouge Paris, the acclaimed cabaret, promotes dinners and abounding cabaret demonstrates for an black of agitative Paris entertainment.

Paris tourism permits journeyers to calmly and readily embrace all that Paris has to offer. Historical destinations, amazing sports and recreational pursuits, airy cuisines, and arcade pursuits: it is no abruptness that Paris is just so inviting. With so abounding things to do, see, and acquaintance aural the boundaries of Paris, the traveller may accomplish the a lot of out of every vacationing dollar.

Billye Skyeers enjoys the quaint lifestyle in Paris, dining in restaurants in paris, drinking in paris pubs and enjoying the company of paris discreet escorts.

Beer Promotion in the Wild World of the Internet

Author: Keith Tomlinson
Source: articleage.com

The Challenge for Breweries in Todayย’s Regulated Marketplace is immense. For the past decade the advertising of alcoholic products has been increasingly subject to both government regulation and self-regulatory bodies. In Canada, the CRTCย’s August 1996, amtrak promotion code, Code for Broadcast Advertising of Alcoholic Beverages severely restricted the way in which alcohol products are presented, amtrak promotion code, on both radio and television.

It is not an exaggeration to say that any advertisement adhering to these regulations would be dull indeed, and almost obscure any attempt at promotion – you canย’t enjoy yourself and drink beer at the same time! Print material such as entrepreneurial magazines and newspapers are less restricted, though regulated by provincial Liquor Boards. The same ethical limitations apply: do not link enjoyment with alcohol consumption; do not direct your ad to youth; do not over-promote; do not pass Go! Also, self-regulation within various media abounds.

In the United States a similar situation exists. The Federal Trade Commission and Congress are the key regulating authorities. In addition, individual media and media groups establish, amtrak promotion code, their own code, amtrak promotion code, of ethics, often refusing to publish, amtrak promotion code, or broadcast alcohol advertising.

The challenge? How do breweries and microbreweries ย’get the word outย’ about their products within an advertising marketplace of such limited visibility where self-promotion is frowned upon?

When traditional methods are not a viable option we must identify and utilize those of the future.

One way breweries can take advantage of modern advertising options is to share your product with the world on the Internet.

You may already have a company website. Itย’s fun, it positively promotes your product with enthusiasm as no TV ad is now permitted to do. Your T-shirts and ball caps have their own page. Potential customers are visiting your website on a regular basis, once they stumble across your site on a night of Internet surfing. However, is this kind of customer traffic really the most effective use of such a dynamic advertising tool? All that creative and technical effort and your audience consist of web junkies and the occasional salesperson trying to sell you something.

The solution to this problem is targeted pixel marketing. Websites are being developed which help increase traffic on subject related web pages. For instance, pixel space for your beer label on the beer home page may be purchased for a reasonable cost. The label then links with your own webpage.

Beer festivals may be a long established custom, however the modern version is a true advertising event and increasingly popular, not only with the locals. Beer fans travel far to attend their favorite bash.

To choose the festival which most suites your product, the Internet comes to the rescue once again. A number of websites list festivals. Check the bottom row of thebeerhomepage.com for the most popular beer festivals around the world.

Besides a shift in promotional methods, a fresh approach in attitude will go a long way in changing public perception of beer. Taking a leaf out the wine industryย’s book may be the answer. Wine sales have risen since their advertisers started promoting wine ย”as a natural product, a healthy option, a sophisticated and educated choice, a compliment to food and equally popular with men and women.

In fact, beer can also boast all these things, but its public perception is poor by comparisonย” says Peter Kendal of Molson Coors Brewers. He continues, ย”Beer is a wholesome, natural product, made from malted barley and hops. Moreover, moderate (and we stress moderate) beer drinking is just as healthy as moderate wine drinkingย”.

To conclude, these are only a few examples of the way a modern approach to advertising need not battle with established regulations. A positive, open mind and a willingness to switch gears should lead to a healthy return on your advertising dollars.

Travel in Menorca Spain

Author: Ispas Marin
Source: articleage.com

Menorca is the second largest of the Balearic Islands and is smaller and quieter than its main neighbour Mallorca, but bigger than it’s other neighbour Ibiza. It is only 9 miles (15km) wide and 32 miles (52km) long and located just 34 km / 21 miles from Mallorca, the island has many family-friendly resorts and almost as many beaches as Mallorca and Ibiza combined. Peaceful holiday resorts line the south coast of the island and sleepy fishing villages are dotted along its rocky north shore.

Menorca has escaped much of the effect of package holidays and the island’s small towns, <a href="http://www.

amtrakpromotioncode.net”>amtrak promotion code, and villages offer a fairly quiet and relaxed holiday, even during the peak season, with many wonderful attractions. There are plenty of tourism and tourist information offices situated in the towns of Menorca and these provide up-to-date information about Menorca tourist attractions, museums, events, Menorca festivals, Menorca travel, Menorca sightseeing and general Menorca tourism and tourist information.

Largely protected from development, Menorca is a real haven, amtrak promotion code, for nature-lovers.

Menorca is a very green island, with pinewoods and many fields for the islands 25,000 grazing cattle. Cycling tracks meander vigorously across the meadows and scrublands, offering some spectacular views of the island and the seafront. The north coast of Menorca is rocky and rough, whilst in contrast; the south coast of Menorca is full of sandy coves, with fine, golden sand, sheltered by cliffs. Menorca is littered with prehistoric remains, giving much evidence of a bygone sophisticated culture.

Little is known of those weather beaten stone monuments, but it is thought they are linked to those of Sardinia and date around the second millennium BC Talayotic period.

The oldest and largest towns in Menorca are Mahon on it’s eastern side, the walled capital of the island, which is at the end of an enormous natural harbour and Ciutadella, Menorca’s ancient and co (western) end of the island. Mahon is a particularly busy port and has many impressive acrchitectural features whilst Ciutadella is a more graceful town, full of winding streets and characteristic old buildings, reminiscent of the Moorish and Spanish influence, including several churches.

The town does not offer much in terms of sightseeing, but it has excellent eateries, shops and a very relaxed ambience for wandering around. Mahon itself is a sedate and conservative town, consisting of classical Georgian houses from its British past (Admiral Nelson once lived at the Golden Farm Mansion) For sightseeing, a trip to the famous Xoriguer Gin distillery is well worth a visit.

Menorca is the greenest and least developed of the Balearic Islands. It has a slightly gentler feel than neighbouring Mallorca and is the perfect holiday destination for couples and families: everything is easy, peaceful and close by.

The best part of Menorca is its abundance of beautiful beaches – it has more beaches than the rest of the Balearics put together. The coastline ranges from pristine coves to long, sandy beaches separated by rocky headlands.

Inland, Menorca remains essentially rural with restful scenery of rolling fields and wooded ravines Fiercely protective of its natural beauty and fully aware of the potentially damaging consequences of selling out to mass tourism, Menorca has clearly demarcated most of its holiday areas.

Resort villages are dotted around the coast and characteristically amount to just a small selection of hotels and self-catering apartments, with enough quality shops, bars and restaurants to provide fully for visitors. As such the resorts are safe, modern and sympathetically designed to complement the surroundings. A proud island, Menorca is clean and uncluttered, with an excellent climate – qualities that promote a sense of space and well being for everyone.

Menorca is not expensive and a daily budget of around $35 is enough for a good time.

However splashing out and experiencing everything can be done within a daily budget of $80. The museum of Menorca is easily the biggest building on the island and the best museum.

It holds a wide array or prehistoric artefacts from 4000BC and Talayotic times. Another well-known sight is the Naveta Dels Tudons, also known as the cathedral of prehistoric monuments. It is shaped like an upturned boat, amtrak promotion code, and is one of several Navetas on the island. Navetas were old funeral structures and are surrounded in mystery and legend.

Travel by Taxis

Taxis in Menorca are a useful way to travel around the towns and visit nearby sights and attractions. The taxi meters starts at a basic fare, but additional charges are usually made for luggage, night time, amtrak promotion code, driving and travel on public holidays in Menorca.

Driving Tips

Citizens of EU member countries require a national driving licence to drive cars in Spain

Citizens from non-EU member countries need an International Driving Permit, as well as their national driving licence.

You must be at least 18 years old to drive a car in Spain and have a valid driving licence and car insurance.

It is compulsory for the driver and all passengers to wear seat belts and children under 14 years old are not allowed to travel in front seats. In Spain, cars drive on the right-hand side of the road. Give way to traffic coming from the right at junctions and roundabouts

Beware of what appear to be shortcuts on maps – these often turn out to be unpaved roads or mountain passes.

Unless indicated, other major routes are, amtrak promotion code, 56 miles per hour / 90 km per hour and slower speed limits of 30 miles per hour / 50 km per hour are enforced in urban areas

It is an offence not to carry some form of identification, such as passport or driving licence

Travel by Car Hire/Rental

Driving in the centre of busy towns and popular resorts is best avoided if possible, as many of the streets and narrow, with one-way traffic.

Cars parked alongside the pavements can also making driving conditions difficult. However, a car in Menorca provides a useful way to travel around the island and a current map of Menorca’s roads is essential. There are many winding roads around the island that offer some truly spectacular views.

Promotional Ski Pass Holders

Author: Miles Lovegrove
Source: isnare.com

If you are looking for an original promotional gift idea that will get your company noticed consider using promotional ski pass holders. These are especially useful if you are attending a trade show and are looking to catch people?s attention as they pass by. Promotional ski pass holders are also small enough to carry conveniently in your bag, which means they are easily transported from one place to the next.

You can carry more promotional ski pass holders then you could mugs are corporate note pads.

Their size makes them excellent to, amtrak promotion code, hand out to people at trade shows and conventions because they are small and can fit into a person?s pocket very easily. If you are worried about what people would use your promotional ski pass holder for the answer is really quite simple.

Promotional ski pass holders are not only for holding ski passes, amtrak promotion code, . Many companies use them, amtrak promotion code, for their employees to attach name badges or scanning time cards to.

This helps each employee keep track of their cards without the hassle of scrambling to look for them. Promotional ski pass holders are great to hand out at community functions that your company may sponsor.

If you are looking at going above and beyond to impress potential clients you might consider putting together a ?Let?s Hit the Slopes? gift bag. Many people enjoy skiing or at least know someone who skis. So if you put together a gift bag with a promotional ski pass holder, printed beanie and scarf and maybe even a package or two of hot chocolate customers and clients would be really impressed.

Promotional ski pass holders are used by more than just people that ski. Business executives use them to keep their identification handy when dealing with security. Employees use promotional ski pass holders for their name badges. The can be given to security, amtrak promotion code, professionals for badge or time card use to quickly get in and out of locked doors.

People in the medical profession also use promotional ski pass holders for their name plates so patients can easily, amtrak promotion code, identify their care provider.

As you can see, the promotional ski pass holder has a number of uses by a wide variety of people. Everywhere they go, the ski pass holder goes that is personalized with your company name and logo.

So if you are looking for an original way to increase your company?s public image and exposure invest in promotional ski pass holders. They are inexpensive promotional items that are easily stored and carried when travelling. They are practical gifts for seminars, conventions and trade shows. They easily fit into the receiver pocket so they are bogged down with juggling all the things they are carrying.

In a world where they are going to get a thousand pens, hundreds of paperclips and more notepads then any person would need, give them something an original.

That is what the ski pass holder is, an original gift that tells your customers and clients, that you are not like your competition.

Miles Lovegrove is director of Fluid Branding, the UK’s largest supplier of promotional Ski Pass Holders and other Promotional Products at www.fluidbranding.com. For Eco Friendly promotional products, including Recycled, Organic and Sustainable items visit www.ecoincentives.com

Why Travel Agents choose 0800 Numbers and 0845 Numbers

Author: Mark Guy
Source: articlesbase.com

Many companies within the travel sector use non-geographic telephone numbers as the main point of contact for their customers. A quick Google search for travel agents or a glance at Teletext holidays will prove this. Non-geographic numbers (e.g. 0845 numbers and 0800 numbers) are so called because they do not identify the location of the company that is using them by the dialling code alone. So, a travel agent in Slough could have an 0845 number rather than using its local number with the 01753 dialling code.

This is particularly useful for travel agents as they won’t be judged on their location if they promote their phone number on their website, amtrak promotion code, or in newspapers and therefore will receive calls from across the UK. Another reason that non-geographic numbers are so popular with travel agents is because they can specifically choose, amtrak promotion code, a memorable phone number that will enable them to stand out in their advertising.

What’s more non-geographic numbers enable companies to smarten up their telephone systems – completely online, without the need for any additional hardware or equipment. Call management features that are prevalent in the travel sector include welcome messages (e.g. “Welcome to ABC Travel”) and caller options (“press 1 for bookings, 2 for…”etc). Another key benefit of non-geographic phone numbers is the fact that they are totally portable. If a travel agent works from home for half, amtrak promotion code, the week and from the office from the other half, then their calls can follow them wherever they go.

All they need to do is pop online and change the receiving landline or mobile that calls to their non-geographic number goes to. It seems however, that no one number range is dominant and different travel agents use different numbers depending on their specific needs. Many travel agents use 0845 numbers (http://www.windsor-telecom.co.uk/0845-numbers.php), the UK’s most popular business phone number. Everyone knows 0845 numbers and for this reason they, amtrak promotion code, are very established and have a high awareness.

BT has also recently made calls to 0845 number free for 14 million ofits landline customers who are on its Anytime/Evening & Weekend call packages. Therefore potential customers that are shopping for a holiday can contact travel, amtrak promotion code, agents free of charge from their home landline. For travel agents that want to offer mobile callers a great deal (and according to Ofcom 40% of all UK calls are now made from mobiles) — then 03 numbers (http://www.windsor-telecom.co.uk/03-numbers) are ideal.

03 numbers cost customers the same to dial as a normal landline number — even from a mobile phone. Plus, they are also included in the free minutes offered by landline and mobile providers. Additionally, 0800 numbers (http://www.windsor-telecom.co.uk/0800-freephone-numbers.php) are popular within the travel sector because they are great for marketing. It is largely known that using an 0800 number can dramatically boost the number of calls companies receive. The Institute of Direct Marketing found that this can even be as high as a 185% increase.

It seems that the use of non-geographic numbers in the travel sector continues to escalate and when the above benefits are considered it is easy to see why they are so popular.

Mark Guy is marketing and PR officer at Windsor Telecom: http://www.windsor-telecom.co.uk

‘Bringing you the grace of travel’ Dolphin Travels launches a comprehensive travel website for traveling to India and the world.

Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles

May 7, 2004–On the eve of the site launch, Mr. Deepak Vig, Managing Director of Dolphin Travels said โ€œWe are a corporate and leisure travel management company and currently service a wide range of business and holiday clientele for their specific travel requirements. Our inspiration for professionalism comes from our friend the dolphin that is why we are swift to respond to customer needs, skilled in our job performance and presentations, charming and courteous to our customers, friendly in our approach to one and all, and most of all gentle in all that we do.

With the increase in international tourism to India and the industry all set for some good times ahead it was the right time for us to take our services to a wider international audience through this website and be able to promptly and effectively provide all travel related services to any one who wishes to travel to India. We have pooled in all our expertise in designing some fascinating travel itineraries and hope to show you India like no one has done before. The mantra is new definitions for a new millenniumโ€

The website has pleasing designs that helps in building a nice browsing experience.

Supporting the design aesthetics is a user friendly navigation structure combining drop down menus and short cuts which keep the user only a click or two away from what they want to see. Also some other helpful information like, amtrak promotion code, travel tips and India travel guide complete a wholesome user experience.

The website covers almost all interest areas with a combination of detailed and short programmes ranging from itinerary on Kashmir, wildlife and adventure to some enriching packages on ayurveda, yoga, meditation and a special one on the art of living aimed at wholesome rejuvination of your mind, body and soul.

So if you are looking for short city breaks in any part of India or wish to go on a journey filled with fascinating places and rich culture, then this new site has all that you need.

In, amtrak promotion code, addition to the in depth coverage of India as a travel destination the site also gives you a glimpse of all the major international tourist attractions.

Hitesh Dhawan, CEO of Neuro Nimbus said โ€œThis new travel website for Dolphin travels is based on our cutting edge Neuro Travel CMS solution.

On this site, amtrak promotion code, using our CMS the client can manage all the travel commodities that they sell ranging from detailed travel itineraries, brochure tours, hotel bookings and air tickets to promotional packages and seasonal offers of specific destinations. The site becomes an online extension of the brick and mortar business of the company. It’s more like a salesman for the company that never sleeps, never goes off duty and travels all over the globe to, amtrak promotion, amtrak promotion code, code, get business.

Behind the great user interface and site design there is a complex engine which is programmed to handle large amount of data and enables the travel company to remotely manage all their content as and when they like. Thus resulting a savings in maintenance and reduced cost of ownership.โ€

The Favicon, an Untapped Image Promotion Trick – Animated Favicons?

Author: Andrei Smith
Source: articleage.com

A favicon is that little image that most browsers display on the address line and in the favorites (bookmarks) menu. Tabbed browsers like Firefox and Opera extend the functionality of favicons, adding them to their tabs. The name was coined based on Internet Explorer (the first browser to support it) and derives from “Favorites Icon”. Each web browser has a unique user interface, and as a result uses the favicon in different ways. The favicon allows a company to further promote its identity and image by displaying a logo, a graphical message, etc.

Often, the favicon reflects the look and feel of the web site or the organization’s logo.
A traditional favicon is actually a Microsoft Windows ICO file. An ICO file is actually a repository of bitmap like images. They are used because in some locations a 16×16 pixel image is desired, and sometimes a 32×32 image may be needed. Sometimes a 16 color image is desired, and sometimes a 256 color icon is desired.
You probably already knew all of the above.
But did you know that Firefox can display animated favicons? If you don’t believe me, open Firefox and go to my site, bsleek.

com (there should be a link at the bottom of the article). if you don’t have Firefox, download it, it’s a “must have” and you will quickly fall in love with the simplicity and convenience of tabbed browsing. Even if you are not a designer but just a site owner, in today’s environment you absolutely must know how your site looks in all browsers. You would think that all websites should look the same, but as browsers become more diverse and more sophisticated, standards are not respected and things can get messy.

For example, I just discovered that a few pages on my site don’t look as expected in the latest version of Opera and need to be adjusted.
Ok, I hope by now you saw my animated favicon in Firefox and came back to the article to learn more about it…
The main reason why you can see animated favicons in Firefox is because Firefox abolished the proprietary ICO format in favor of the ability to display any supported image format in the favicon location, including BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG and… animated GIFs.

So now you know the big secret, the animated favicon is nothing but a tiny animated GIF.
Here’s a very neat trick, that can actually be used to visualize how any image looks like as a 16×16 pixel icon – once you start designing one of those, you will realize that it is extremely hard to produce a legible image on a 16 square pixels canvas:
Find any page with any graphic that you are interested in. Right click the image and chose “View Image” from the dialog. A blank page should display with your chosen image and surprise: you can see a miniature 16×16 copy of the image as a favicon! Uhh.

.. do I have to mention again that we are doing all this in Firefox?
A hacker’s mind will immediately think of how great it would be to use this feature as a conversion tool. Unfortunately, unlike Internet Explorer and Opera, Firefox doesn’t store FavIcons in .ico files, the icons are stored in an encoded format directly in the bookmark file.
You can apply the same principle to animated GIFs and you will notice that a miniature version of the animation also plays in the address bar and on the tabs.

Perhaps one of the main reasons why you don’t see that many sites using animations is browser compatibility. Animated favicons are not treated at all by Internet Explorer. A static image will not be extracted from the animation either. Instead, the default .htm icon (as defined in Windows’ filetypes) will be placed under one’s Favorites – once added, that is. The animations are not supported by Netscape, Opera, Konqueror, Safari; at least so it seems at the time of this writing. The Firefox family seems to be the only friend to animations, yet as browsers evolve, broader support for animation will probably come along (or, the concept will die).

So, why not take advantage of this *now* and ‘beat the rush’?
Basically, this is how it’s done:
1. You, amtrak promotion code, make a 16×16 animated GIF.
2. You upload the animated GIF to the “root” of your site, or to any other location.
3. You hardcode in your page the location where Firefox should look for the animation.
That’s really it, “big picture” wise.
If you don’t feel too creative or just don’t have time and/or patience, a reputable professional design firm (such as Bsleek) should be able to make a nice animated favicon for you.

Another option – I don’t endorse it, as your goal should be to excel through unique content and push your own image out there – is to find one of the many galleries online and either download a ready made animated favicon or take a large animated GIF and resize it and/or edit it in one of the many available tools. There also are sites that offer online animated favicon creation from a standard image (check out chami.com, find “FavIcon from pics”, they have a simple but neat scrolling text feature).

If you are however a fellow do-it-yourselfer, then let’s elaborate and look at some techniques and useful tips:
As far as tools go: If you are a lucky owner of Adobe’s excellent Photoshop, then you also have a companion application called ImageReady. Linux users have Gimp, an incredibly powerful and free graphics application that can easily handle animated GIF creation. What many people don’t know is that Gimp is also available for free for Windows and the Mac. There is also GIMPShop in the wild, which is a nifty GIMP version for the photoshop-inclined audience (did I mention free?).

There are also many specialized GIF animation makers, some freeware, some not.
Things to remember when designing animated favicons:
You have control over the number of times your animation will play. Any decent animated GIF editor will ask you whether you want your animation to play once, several times (you specify a number) or forever. It is also important to know that after the animation, amtrak promotion code, cycled the predetermined amount of time, it will remain still on the last frame (not the first one!), so make sure that frame contains the image you want displayed at the end of the cycle.

If you really need to, you can set it to loop continuously.
However, out of curtsey to those paranoid about their computer resources being eaten alive by your animation and to those who find animated things in general terribly annoying, I always recommend that you set up a finite number of times your GIF will cycle through the animated sequence. 6 sounds like a good, conservative number, 12 is on the medium side.
By limiting the number of times your GIF plays, you might even set a cool viral marketing effect, where visitors will just click through your pages to see the animation start over.

I clearly remember when I first saw an animated favicon years ago (on the first iterations of the Mozilla browser), the animation was set up to cycle once, and I found myself refreshing the pages over and over, and even clicking through the site just to see it again and again. I don’t care what anyone says, people are attracted to eye candy.
So you made your animation and are very proud of it. Now it is time to upload it to your web server, amtrak promotion code, . You can put it anywhere you want, in any folder you desire.

The old school webmasters who follow Microsoft’s teachings will be very much appalled by this statement. They will tell you that if you don’t name your icon favicon.ico and if you don’t put in the very root of your site, it will not work. With Firefox and animated favicons things are very liberal, you can name your animation anything you want (.gif) and place it anywhere you want. You just have to place a special tag on every page that points to the gif.
Here is the big problem: All this works fine in Firefox, but what about the rest of the browsers?
Well, for maximum compatibility you’ll have to make a regular favicon.

ico and upload it to the root of your website (that’s where your very first index.xxx home page is, where xxx is htm, html, php, cfm, etc..). Then we’ll add the following two lines of code to every page that you want to pull and display the animation.
Please remember, amtrak promotion code, to replace the “{” and “}” brackets with the standard HTML ones, “”. I had to use the curly ones here in order not to confuse article sites. The code has to be placed between the {HEAD} tag and the {TITLE} tags.

It might possibly work otherwise, but your HTML code will not be fully W3C compliant:
{LINK REL=”SHORTCUT ICON” HREF=”http://www.mydomain.com/favicon.ico”}
{LINK REL=”icon” HREF=”http://www.mydomain.com/favicon.gif” TYPE=”image/gif”}
Of course, replace “mydomain, amtrak promotion code, .com” with your own domain, favicon.ico is a standard favicon, favicon.gif is your newly created animated GIF. Again, it can as well be mydomain.com/somefolder/somename.gif.
Always hardcode the location, use absolute addresses (as in the example) and not relative ones (“.

./favicon.gif”).
The first line of code is a standard, a-la Microsoft command that tells the majority of browsers to load a standard favicon.ico.
The second line of code is for Firefox only, instructing the browser to load the animated version.
As a side note, if you forgot to add the two lines of code to a page, that page should pick the default favicon.ico, but only if you already loaded it via one page that had the code in it, or if the page was bookmarked. Additionally, sometimes, Internet Explorer will just refuse to show a favicon.

..
If the above sounds strange (if it doesn’t, what are you doing reading my articles??), I talk about how to create a favicon.ico and about some of the favicon’s stranger behaviors in my other related articles. Just Google for “The Favicon, an untapped image promotion trick” (with quotes).
One last thing: I feel that this article will not be complete if I don’t support those folks who look at the animated favicons the same way the world looks at the text blink “feature” from the early nineties and would like to forever wipe it of the face of the web.

You can disable favicons – animated or not & site icons in Firefox. Here’s how:
Open a Firefox window. Type “about:config”, without the quotes, in the address bar. Hit enter or click Go. Scroll down slightly to “browser.chrome.favicons” and double click it to change it to “false”. This gets rid of the favicons. If you also want to stop seeing site icons, then look right below for “browser.chrome.site_icons”, double click it to change it to “false”. Close all Firefox windows. When you reopen Firefox, the pesky little icons should be gone.

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Andrei co-owns Bsleek – a company that specializes in web design, hosting, promotional items, printing, tradeshow displays, logos, CD presentations, SEO and more. Andrei has amassed an extensive technical knowledge and experience through his career as the CIO for a major travel management company and through his past careers in military research, data acquisition and airspace engineering. He also consults for Trinity Investigations, a New York based PI firm.

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Bsleek Web Design – If we build it, they will come.

How To Get Promoted (Free Chapter From New E-book “No Sucking-UP!”)

Author: Bill Hanover
Source: articleage.com

Sometimes a promotion might actually wind-up being the worst thing that could happen to you! Really, it’s true. A good friend of mine won a promotion he had been planning and hoping for over a long period of time. He was ecstatic.
The first year on the new job he lost more than $20k of income moving from an hourly wage to salary. He worked even more overtime, was stressed-out, (which carried over to his family life,) and resulted in a whole host of other troubles.
It didn’t take him long to decide that the “promotion” brought with it a new title and a lot of headaches he had never anticipated.

You really need to ask yourself if the promotion you seek will somehow improve the quality of your life and those you care about enough to justify accepting it. There needs to be some harmony between your work life, and your home or private life, and what you expect or desire from each. If a promotion costs you too much of what you care about most, run from it, or re-create and redefine it in a way that works for you.
Critical Questions To Ask Before Seeking Or Accepting A Promotion Are:

What do I value most and will the promotion give me more of that?
Will I be happier?
Will my relationships suffer or be improved (family, co-workers, and/or friends, etc.

?)
Will I be more secure in my job?
Will I earn more or less money? (Don’t forget to consider the differences between hourly wages and base salary pay.)
Will I have to work much more than I want to?
Will I retain at least the same level of benefits I currently enjoy?
Will there be opportunities to advance further?
Is this position temporary or enduring?
Is this position respected and needed long-term?
Who will replace me, and are they competent?
Whom will I be replacing, where are they going, and why?
Will this promotion actually help me and the company in the long-run?
Am I exceeding my level of competence by taking this job? If so, what will I need to do to become competent to fulfill this new role?
What is the “political, <a href="http://www.

amtrakpromotioncode.net”>amtrak promotion code, climate” like surrounding this new position?
Who will be my new boss and what is he or she like?
Is there a merger looming, or likely, and how will this effect me?
Will I have to re-locate, and am I open to that?
Who will I now be supervising or accountable for, and what are they like?
What is the history of this position? If this position is constantly being “re-filled,” why?
Will the level of accountability I have match the rewards I receive?
Who will decide whether or not I get the job, and how is my relationship with them?
Can I leave the job without being demoted or punished in some way if it turns out to not be a good fit?
What will be left undone when I leave my current position, who will complete it, and how involved will I need to be in that process?

Maybe that seems like a long list of questions but I hope you know the answers to each of them before you push hard for a promotion.

You really do need to know if the new job is better than what you have now. Finding the answers to some of theses questions can be a bit of a tricky process, but as long as you proceed cautiously, it will be well worth your time.
Whether you like Dick Cheney or George Bush, or agree with them politically, you have to sort of admire the way Dick Cheney has said a resounding “No” to seeking the office of President of the United States. Instead of toying with the idea of becoming President, Vice President Cheney has repeatedly said “I serve at the pleasure of the President” and “I do not desire, nor will I accept, your nomination for President.

” Could he have been any clearer on the subject? It seems fair to say that VP Cheney has answered the questions above in his own way. Perhaps, like many of us, he is glad someone else is doing that job.
Being President of the United States isn’t for most of us. Half the people you govern don’t agree with you most of the time, and the other half only agrees with you some of the time. High-level positions in most companies work much the same way. You, amtrak promotion code, have to grow a pretty “thick skin” to thrive and be effective in such environments.

Very recently, two friends of mine working at different companies in two different states both decided they were tired of their jobs and quit. Both men were very impressive and highly regarded in their respective occupations. After years of holding the highest and second highest positions in their companies, both of them declared, in effect, “I’ve had enough of this” and left long-standing careers.
What would drive people to this end? I’ll summarize their answers to give you a sense of why people burn-out and feel as though they must move on even when they have been promoted to the highest levels.

The Following Elements Contributed To The Eventual Burn-Out Of Both Men:

They were working at least 60 and usually 80+ hours per week. They both felt like if they worked any less they would fail to meet the responsibilities of their positions. Sadly, even with the extra hours worked, they never felt like they were even close to being caught-up.
They were good delegators, but simply had more work than they could possibly do. Their key staff members were also overwhelmed, so they could not off-load, amtrak promotion code, any more work onto them.

There simply was no relief for them.
They received extreme pressure from corporate execs to make their, amtrak promotion code, companies more and more profitable in order to please shareholders. In truth, there is only so much that can be done, and only so many hours in a day in which to do those things. Unfortunately, many corporate executives do not agree with this analysis.
They carried the “weight of the world” on their shoulders, and found it hard to think of anything but their jobs. Even when they were home (on occasion,) with their families they found it almost impossible to think of anything other than their duties at work.

They had unreasonable expectations for themselves and equally unreasonable expectations placed on them by corporate leadership. They were, in fact, destined to fall short even with all of their talents and passion for the business, and after all they could do.

Both gentlemen in this example are very good men who have incredible work ethics and solid characters. They both deserve medals for helping their companies evolve and keep thousands of workers employed. They both did the jobs they were hired to do with passion and integrity.

The purpose, again, behind telling you about these good men is that corporations are increasingly expecting people to give-over their entire lives for the benefit of the company. In search of the almighty dollar, many corporate execs are very uninterested in the fact that people are being pushed far beyond reasonable expectations. Every corporate exec and perhaps every shareholder knows that even high-level managers are completely replaceable.
It is almost as though it has become understood that leaders and managers on every level are like race cars.

You run them hard for awhile, replace only the parts, fuels, and lubricants that you absolutely must, and when they have lost their zip you get a new one.
If you are interested in high-level positions with great responsibility you should know this “use ‘em and lose ‘em” practice seems to have become the norm. In my travels I haven’t seen any signs of this changing in the near future.
If all you learn from this entire manual is that you don’t want a promotion after all, then your money and time have been wisely spent.

Far too many people set their sights on the goal of being promoted before they investigate what that really means. It is generally harder to go back to the job you had before you were promoted once you’re in your new position. Consider all the many ramifications of your decision before putting a lot of effort into being promoted.
Some promotions even come with implied and, (more or less mandatory) future promotions. If you know this is the case, you need to really consider how desirable the second or third position in sequence would be, as you might be obligated to accept it.

If it is completely undesirable, you may want to reconsider the path you have chosen.
It’s very common for assistant managers to become managers and managers to become senior management or even presidents. If you can see the direct route to a place or position you don’t want to occupy, a course-correction may be warranted. You’ll either need to set things up in a way that won’t take you to the undesirable position, or choose a different career path. There truly may be no going back.
This scenario is quite common: you, as assistant manager, are the natural choice to replace the next higher level boss.

The management team is probably grooming you for this position, and will be disappointed if you won’t accept it when offered. In addition, you will be the best qualified person for the job.
Unless you can accept the terms of a promotion fully, you might be better off declining it cold. In the end, getting a promotion that gives you more money and a great title, but makes you miserable isn’t worth it.
Summary Points:

Some promotions cost you so much of what you value that they are actually DEMOTIONS.

You should always ask the “24 Critical Questions” from chapter 1 before accepting a promotion.
Hi-level positions are extremely demanding and require “thick skin” emotionally and politically to endure, let alone thrive in.
Professional burn-out is a risk associated with advanced positions of responsibility.
Many corporations treat senior managers as expendable commodities and replace them frequently.
Everyone is completely replaceable in every company regardless of rank.
Just learning why you don’t want a promotion is a worthy undertaking.

Many positions practically require their occupants to accept higher positions. If a promotion eventually leads to a position, amtrak promotion code, you don’t want, you may need to choose a different career path as there may be no going back.
Getting a promotion that gives you more money and a great title, but makes you miserable isn’t worth it.

I hope this chapter helped you consider what a promotion might really mean to you. It is always good to go in with your eyes wide open.
All the Best,
Bill
Bill Hanover is author of “No Sucking-Up! How to Get Promoted
Without Sucking-Up.

” He has been a management consultant for the last 10 years and holds and M.S. in psychology. To learn more about Bill or his new e-book “No Sucking-Up!” you may visit http://www.nosuckingup.com/
You may also visit Bill’s Lean Manufacturing consulting website at http://www.tpslean.com/

Top Overseas Tour Operators made Dubai Specialists’ at DTCM’s second FVW Workshop in Dubai

Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles

September 4, 2004 — A select group of 30 top overseas tour operators were made โ€˜Dubai Specialists’ at DTCM’s recently concluded 2nd FVW Workshop in Dubai. The active participation of the global travel industry’s decision makers and leaders at the event, reflect Dubai’s popularity as an ideal year-round business and leisure destination.

Hotel establishments in Dubai have registered a 67 percent increase in the number of German guests in the first half of 2004 compared with the corresponding period last year.

Commenting on this at the FVW Workshop, DTCM Director Operations and Marketing (DTCM), Mohammed Khamis bin Hareb, said: โ€œThis, amtrak promotion code, proves beyond doubt that Dubai is the favourite destination for the Germans and their interest in the emirate remains as strong as years ago. There is still a huge potential to be tapped and we remain committed to benefit from the tremendous opportunities.โ€

The annual FVW Workshop is part of the aggressive promotional and marketing agenda undertaken by Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) to tap established and emerging markets as Dubai moves a step further towards becoming a leading international tourist and business destination.

The four-day workshop was supported by Lufthansa, Madinat Jumeirah and Alpha, amtrak promotion code, Tours.

FVW International is a leading opinion-building German travel trade magazine and the workshop was designed to make familiar a selected group of travel agents with Dubai and develop destination knowledge thereby turning travel agents into, amtrak promotion code, Dubai specialists through first-hand experience. This year’s programme attracted a total of 130 applicants, but only 30 were selected โ€” all first-time visitors to Dubai.

Participants, including senior representatives from Germany’s leading travel organizations like Meier’s Weltreisen, Thomas Cook, Deutsches Reiseburo GmbH, TUI and Tischler Reisen, were offered insights into Dubai’s new wave of growth, amtrak promotion code, and expansion through a presentation on the destination covering its unique facilities, growth dynamics and future projects. Details about each of the ambitious projects that are taking shape, ranging from The Palm to Hydropolis Hotel, were revealed along with their impact on Dubai’s tourism industry and economy.

Through interactive sessions and field trips covering the emirate’s landmarks and upcoming developments, the 30 short, amtrak promotion code, listed participants were made โ€˜Dubai Specialists’ after they experienced the world-class infrastructure, high standards of living, recreational and resort facilities, unique Arabian hospitality and traditions and contemporary lifestyle.

The FVW International Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Klaus Hildebrandt, said: โ€œWe received very positive feedback from the participants.

The travel agents confirmed a substantial demand throughout the year for Dubai. They appreciated the opportunity provided to them to come on a platform to understanding the destination and market it well and extensively.โ€

Speaking at the workshop, FVW Mara Kaselitz, Director, DTCM Germany, said: โ€œDubai topped the list of long-haul destinations for Germans this year on the back of unfaltering interest in the destination. Every segment of the tourism industry has benefited from the German market and we hope the trend will continue in the future as well.

โ€ The upcoming winter season is scheduled to witness 47 non-stop weekly flights to Dubai from Germany. As many as 134 tour operators are featuring Dubai in their packages and itineraries in 2004.

The number of German companies in Dubai has increased to 241 in 2004 (as of May 10th) from 77 in 1993, while the number of German establishments in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) jumped up from four to 106 during the same period. Last year, 377,000 German passengers arrived from Frankfurt, Munich and Dรผsseldorf at the Dubai International Airport, registering a 21 percent growth.

The field trips and arrangements for the FVW workshop were coordinated by DTCM Executive Missions, Ali Abdulwahab. Each participant contributed donations for the Iraqi children which will be routed through Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation.